Surviving our children-and Alaskan politics-one day at a time.

Archive for the ‘Random’ Category

A friend of mine recently asked me to come with her to the Wild Ride Sled Dog Rodeo. She is a tour guide and she sometimes gets free tickets to things like flightseeing, rafting and other excursions. The idea is that if the tour guides enjoy the show, they’ll talk it up to their customers who would then purchase tickets to see it themselves.

Once I found out that this was a dinner show, of course I said yes. I’m not one to pass up a free meal.

So we headed over to the show, which is in downtown Anchorage near the Ulu Factory. The tourists were thick in the waiting area, and we decided that we fit in pretty well except that we weren’t sporting an Alaskan hat or T-shirt.

A young man let us in to where they keep the puppies, and I got a few pictures. There were two pens of puppies- one with 5-week old puppies and one with 9-day-old puppies. They were so cute I almost stuffed one of them in my purse.

After holding the 9-day-old puppies, we got to visit with the 5-week-old puppies for a few minutes before heading in to the show. This was the cutest one:

We were called into the arena (a gravel-covered oval with bleachers) and the show began. The operation is owned and operated by Dallas and Jen Seavey, son and daughter-in-law of Mitch Seavey, an Iditarod veteran. In 2005, Dallas was the youngest person to ever run the Iditarod and in 2009, he came in 6th place. He is only 22 years old.

The show consists of mushers racing around the track on dog sleds, a weight pull, and a lead dog steering demonstration. My favorite part was when they hooked up a full team of 16 dogs and they pulled a 10,000 lb truck out of the arena.

Jen Seavey and Hugo, the star of the movie “Snow Buddies”

After the show, we were invited into a tent which was decked out and served a delicious meal of roast beef, potatoes and sauteed vegetables. The chocolate cake with raspberry sauce was to die for. During dinner, Jen and Dallas mingled with the crowd, answering questions and visiting. After dinner, they told the story of how Dallas came in 6th place this year, which was fascinating. We also watched a great video about the Iditarod on flat screen TV’s.

Inside the Tent

Dallas and Jen Seavey telling the tale of Iditarod 2009

I would definitely recommend this show to visitors from out of state, but as an Alaskan, I found it interesting and entertaining, too. I do have to admit, though, that snuggling the puppies was my favorite part.

I have kept out of the David Letterman/Sarah Palin kerfuffle up til now because I didn’t want to give Palin the publicity is she so desperately seeking. Her fake outrage at Letterman’s joke was enough to put me off my breakfast, and I didn’t want to hash it out again here.

But I do want to take a moment to highlight who has truly been putting their money where their mouth is, so to speak, when it comes to the health and safety of others.

Sarah Palin:
-As mayor of Wasilla, she charged victims for rape kits.
-As Governor, she is residing over the state with the highest number of sexual assaults in the country, and doesn’t seem to be doing anything about it.
-As Governor, Palin is underfunding Public Safety, which contributes to a high incidence of sexual assault.
-As a mother, her 17-year-old daughter got pregnant.

David Letterman:
-Is the president and primary contributor of The American Foundation for Courtesy and Grooming (AFCG), a private foundation that has donated almost $2.5 million dollars in the past four years.
-AFCG has donated to the following organizations:

And just for fun, here’s a quote from an online chat with Kathleen Parker, columnist over at www.washingtonpost.com:

“San Francisco: Do you think that a lot of the interest in Palin is just curiosity? During the election campaign, everyone I spoke to, liberal or conservative, said they would go to hear her speak – but not a one thought she was a qualified candidate for national office. They just wanted to see her because she is such an anomaly.

Kathleen Parker: She’s interesting. As Flannery O’Connor once said, “People will stand in line to shake hands with a monkey.” Or something to that effect.”

Wednesday: Public Education Standards? Pshaww!– Palin got on the short bus this week to join a small group of governors who have said thanks but no thanks to helping develop national education standards. Who are these other brave governors? Why, none other than Texas Governor Rick “Let’s Just Succeed From the Union” Perry and South Carolina Governor Mark “You Can’t Make Me Take Money for Education” Sanford, of course. Oh, and Missouri Governor Jay Nixon. I have yet to figure out what his problem is.

Thursday: Political Correctness: Screw It– AKM braved the most difficult challenge yet: facing both Michael Reagan and Sarah Palin in one sitting. Warning: this post is hard to sit through, and that’s not because of AKM’s writing. It’s just, well, nauseating.

Saturday: Pay Up!– Sarah has until June 23rd to repay the state for her family’s illegal trip-taking. I sure hope she got an advance on that “book.”

Saturday: Palin Plagarizes– You remember that speech up there? The one listed for Thursday? Well, turns out she didn’t write it all by herself. Raise your hand if you’re surprised. Yep, that’s what I thought.

Saturday: Parade– What’s the best way to wrap up a week like Sarah’s? A parade, of course! I bet Sarah felt like Miss Alaska again, even for just a moment. She’s going to need those positive feelings to last. I mean, tomorrow’s the start of another long week for the Governor. Lets hope this one works out a little better than the last one.

A dear friend of mine who I met through Mudflats awarded me the One Lovely Blog award this past week.

I am humbled, as it is her blog that I feel is truly worthy. Therefore, I’m giving the award back to her. You can read her amazing food blog, Life’s a Feast, here. Jamie is one of those cooks who makes the most divine dishes look simple. She’s living in France, but spent seven years in Italy, which makes her food even that more exotic and amazing. I wish I could jump on a plane right now and go try her artichoke-asparagus risotto. Jamie presents the backstory for each recipe, and then takes you through it, step by step, with gorgeous pictures to lead the way. She amazes me. So thanks, Jamie. It’s been wonderful to get to know you and your lovely blog.

Since Jamie passed on her award to more than just one blog, I shall do the same. Here are just a few of the blogs that I’ve discovered in the past year that have improved my life and opened my eyes.

Making it Lovely– Nicole Balch is a designer/shop owner extraordinaire who never ceases to amaze me with her talent and creativity. She owns a little shop called PinkLovesBrown.com, where you can find unique stationery, note cards, pins and mirrors. Nicole is on maternity leave right now, as her new baby girl has recently arrived, but is still posting at Making It Lovely.

Da Goddess– My friend Joanie is a photographer. She loves da blues, and her kids Mojo and Little Dude. Joanie has become one of the unlikely people I’ve encountered through the tubes that I think I’ll be friends with forever. Her life has its ups-and-downs (whose doesn’t?) but she always shares whatever is happening with us, and for that, I think she is one of the bravest people I’ve ever met. Her photos are beautiful and she enjoys sharing her expertise with the reader. You deserve this award, Joanie. Thanks for being a great friend.